The Right to Remain Silent
by Tanith2011
Summary: A detective's unintentional eavesdropping creates confusion within SFPD's homicide department, particularly when it involves a secret that Steve and Jeannie are keeping from Mike. Based on a writer's challenge. Will upload a cover image soon.


**AN: This was a result of a writer's challenge where I was to choose one of three prompts to use in a ficlet...I couldn't resist to use all three options that were on offer ;-) The prompts are in bold text.**

_**Tanith**_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters, locations or canon information depicted in the series "The Streets of San Francisco". I'm just borrowing them for my pleasure and hopefully the enjoyment of others.

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**The Right to Remain Silent**

Walking into the Bureau, the African-American detective headed straight for Mike Stone's office, his face buried in the file he held open in his hands. When he reached the door, the voices within stopped him in his tracks. The voices belonged to Steve and Mike's daughter Jeannie.

"_Jeannie, you have to tell Mike."_

"_I can't!"_

"_Well, you can't hide it forever. Sooner or later he's going to find out."_

"_No way, Steve. You know what my father is like."_

"_You haven't even given him a chance. I know it'll take some time for him to get used to having another member in the family but he'll come around. Besides, I'll be with you every step of the way."_

Despite feeling guilty and ashamed for eavesdropping, Lee Lessing found he wasn't able to tear himself away from the conversation taking place. _Are they talking about what I think they're talking about? No, it can't be. No way, man! _Pressing his ear to the door, Lessing continued to listen in.

"_Come around? Mike will hit the roof when he finds out a baby…"_

A hand clapped down on Lessing's shoulder, causing the man to jump in surprise.

"Is Mike in there?" Norm Haseejian asked his colleague. He gave Lessing a confused look when the man stood too stunned to speak. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just…I was going to deliver the Montgomery files to Mike and…"

"I was just about to see Mike about the warrant we got for Montgomery's arrest."

"You can't go in there right now," Lessing said in a hushed tone then grabbed Haseejian's arm and dragged him away from the door.

"What's got into you?" Clearly even more puzzled, Haseejian shrugged out of Lessing's grasp but not until they had bumped into Captain Rudy Olsen who had two cups of coffee in his hands.

"Will you two watch where you're going!" Olsen barked as he set the now empty mugs down on the nearest desk then took out his handkerchief to wipe the coffee from his shirt and hands. "What the devil has gotten into the two of you? _Well?"_

Haseejian and Lessing looked at each other in silence.

Rolling his eyes, Olsen started to head toward Mike's office when Lessing stepped in his path and blocked him. "Mike's not in his office," he blurted out.

"Well, I'll wait for him while you two geniuses can grab me another two cups of coffee and some paper towels to clean up the mess," Olsen instructed irritably.

"Wait! You can't go in there, Captain," Lessing all but pleaded.

"Why not? You two better have a good explanation on why I am not to go into Mike's office!"

"Actually that's what I'd like to know," Haseejian replied, crossing his arms and frowning at Lessing.

_Great. _"Okay but just keep this between us three. I don't think Mike would appreciate the whole department knowing about something like this before he even knows himself…" Lee proceeded to tell the two men what he had heard coming from Mike's office.

"That's heavy. Are you sure you heard them say all this? I mean they could be talking about something else" Olsen asked quietly, looking over his shoulder in case Mike strolled in.

Lee nodded in confirmation. "I'm sure. What else could they be talking about in there?"

Haseejian gave Lessing a friendly but firm punch on the arm. "Why did you have to stand there and listen in for?"

"I don't know! I wish I didn't hear any of it but it was too late, you know."

Just as Olsen was about to intervene, he caught sight of the Lieutenant entering the Bureau.

"Rudy, what happened to you?" Mike greeted Olsen with a small chuckle as he pointed at his Captain's coffee stained shirt.

"These two clearly weren't paying the least bit of attention where they were walking," Olsen explained.

An amused Mike shook his head then started to make his way to his office when all three men rushed ahead of him and barred his way. He exchanged suspicious glances with each of the men who looked at one another before Olsen and Haseejian spoke up at the same time.

"Mike, I think the cleaners are still in there…"

"Healy's borrowing your office interrogating a suspect…"

Lessing slapped his forehead while Olsen and Haseejian glared at each other.

"Okay, so which is it, gentlemen?" Mike asked in a bemused sort of way. "Is my office being cleaned or is it been used for questioning?"

When all three men tried to provide an explanation as to why Mike shouldn't go into his office all at the same time, Mike started to lose his patience. **"Will someone please tell me just what in the world is going on?"**

An awkward silence fell until Olsen took a deep breath and shouldered the responsibility of telling Mike why he shouldn't be going into the office right at that moment. **"Mike, there's something I need to tell you."** After a short pause, he continued, "I think that Steve and Jeannie have something they need to talk to you about. They're in your office right now."

"What do you mean they're in my office? What are they trying to tell me, exactly?"

Olsen found no way around it. "Congratulations, Mike." He reached out, grabbed Mike's hand and shook it heartily. "I'm sure Steve will make a fine son-in-law."

"And it's about time you became a grandfather…" Haseejian chipped in nervously.

Mike's jaw dropped and his face blanched. "How…how…if this is a joke, fellas…"

"Lessing said…" Haseejian started.

**"I don't care who said it. I just want to know if it's true!"** Mike cut in then forced his way past the three men and stopped short of his office when the door opened and Jeannie walked out with a worried expression on her face.

"Okay, young lady, you and I are going to have a nice long talk_. In private!" _Mike said gruffly and sternly.

"Mike? How did you find out?" Jeannie gasped.

"How did I find out? Sweetheart, _everybody_ knows!" Mike replied in a strained voice as he tried to usher his daughter back into the privacy of his office but stopped when Steve appeared at the doorway, cradling something in his arms.

"Mike, we were going to tell you but…" Steve began as he walked to stand beside Jeannie.

"Isn't he adorable, Mike? Come on, really, it's not that big a deal. And Steve agreed to look after him when I go back to college. He's just a baby and he doesn't have a home." Jeannie took the puppy from Steve's arms and pouted at her father.

Mike suddenly felt very warm and he loosed his tie as he heard a collective sigh break out all around him. "This…this is what you've wanted to talk to me about?"

Steve nodded. "We should've told you earlier but Jeannie was worried how you felt about her adopting our little friend here."

"And there was nothing else you needed to tell me, right?" Mike pressed.

Jeannie and Steve looked at one another, perplexed by Mike's reaction but relieved he seemed to be taking the news rather well.

"No, I can't think of anything. So can we keep him?" Jeannie replied, beaming at her father.

"Let me grab a coffee and we'll talk about it, okay? Why don't you two go ahead and wait in my office." Mike gave Jeannie and Steve a smile then when they had retreated back into the cubicle, he turned around and found everyone had scattered and silently gone back to their work stations as if nothing had happened. The sound of Olsen's door closing reached his ears next. With a shrug, Mike poured himself a large mug of coffee and guzzled it down very quickly.

_END_


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